BEIJING – Michael Kovrig, one of two Canadians being detained in China, is being kept in a cell with the lights on 24 hours a day, according to a person familiar with his situation, in what is being seen as an act of Chinese retaliation against Canada for the arrest of an influential executive.

Kovrig has also been denied access to a lawyer and will be allowed only one consular visit a month, the person said on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive situation.

“The Chinese side protects the legitimate rights and interests of Michael Kovrig and also helped facilitate the Canadian side’s efforts to fulfill their consular duties,” Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a regular briefing in Beijing on Friday.

Canadian Global Affairs declined to comment.

Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat in Beijing who has been China analyst for the International Crisis Group think-thank for the last two years, and Michael Spavor, who lives in Dandong and promotes exchanges with North Korea, were both detained Dec. 10 on suspicion of endangering China’s national security.

They were arrested while a Canadian court was considering whether to allow Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei Technologies, to be released on bail after arresting her Dec. 1 at the United States’ request. She is wanted for extradition to New York to face fraud charges relating to the company’s alleged violation of American sanctions against Iran.

Analysts said that the timing of the arrests left little doubt that they were politically motivated and acts of reprisal for the arrest of Meng, the scion of one of China’s most internationally successful companies.

First details have emerged of Michael Kovrigâs detention since Dec. 10.Facebook

Kovrig was detained by plainclothes officers in Beijing at 10 p.m. on Dec 10, the person said. He is now being held at an undisclosed location and is not allowed access to a lawyer or loved ones or apply for bail.

The conditions of Kovrig’s detention contrast starkly with those of Meng, who was released Sunday on $7.4 million bail after a multiday court hearing, in which she was represented by high-powered lawyers and observed by throngs of journalists. She is now staying at one of her luxury homes in Vancouver while awaiting the outcome of her extradition proceedings, which could take many months.

Canada’s ambassador, John McCallum, visited Kovrig Friday, in line with the bilateral agreement between China and Canada that stipulates consular visits must take place within 48 hours of being requested.

McCallum met Kovrig at a police station, not at the place where he is being detained. Kovrig told the ambassador that he is being interrogated morning, afternoon and evening, and that the lights in his cell are always on, said the person, who described Kovrig as tired and stressed. Kovrig will not be allowed a consular visit for another month.

Members of the media wait outside the residence of Huawei Technologies CFO Meng Wanzhou after she was released on bail in Vancouver.Jason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images

Chinese authorities are able to keep suspects in secret locations for up to six months – without access to a lawyer – as they gather evidence under a system called “residential surveillance at a designated location.” Those who have experienced the ordeal have described intense interrogation sessions and, on occasion, beatings and torture as authorities seek confessions that can be used in court or for propaganda purposes.

There is no indication that Kovrig has been beaten, although sleep deprivation through incessant lighting is classified as a form of torture.

Peter Dahlin, a Swedish NGO worker who was held in a black jail near Beijing under similar circumstances for 23 days in 2016, described similar interrogation and sleep deprivation tactics after his release.

McCallum was allowed on Sunday to see Spavor, another detained Canadian expatriate, in Dandong on the North Korean border, but no details of Spavor’s detention have emerged.

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